Stars celebrate Mass. movie ‘Grown Ups 2’

Actor Alexander Ludwig and girlfriend Nicole Pedra attend the premiere of "Grown Ups 2" at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square on Wednesday, July 10, 2013 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

07.11.13 | 6:43 PM

New Hampshire’s Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock, Taylor Lautner, and the other celebs who spent the summer of 2012 filming “Grown Ups 2” around Massachusetts, gathered in New York City on Wednesday night for the premiere of the comedy, which has its official release on Friday. The sequel, which follows the pack of childhood friends through a summer day in New England, has been getting not-so-great reviews (the Globe gives it 1½ stars in today’s G section), but that didn’t stop the stars from working the red carpet. Former Celtic Shaquille O’Neal, who plays a cop in the movie, came out in a Yankees shirt with Miss USA 2012 Nana Meriwether, who explained on Twitter she was set up to be Shaq’s date for the night by Sandler. Alexander Ludwig, who plays Spade’s son in the film (and is best known as Cato from “The Hunger Games”), was accompanied by his girlfriend Nicole Pedra, whom he met in Boston. Pedra moved from Massachusetts to Los Angeles to be with the actor earlier this year. Filming locations for “Grown Ups 2” included Swampscott, Marblehead, and Westford.